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wrote âWe were waiting with something like impatience for Mr. Girodet to produce a work that would leave the harshest connoisseurs in no doubt as to the assurance and supremacy of his talent.â But critics did not entirely approve of its unorthodox subject matter and visual qualities. David, Girodetâs mentor, particularly passed severe judgment on the painting and declared it a threat to the dignity of art. He believed that it threatened the idealism of art and, if it was not checked, it would lead to a distasteful genre of history painting less focused on the subject matter and more on melodrama and perversity. Many critics found the work unnecessarily horrific. Some felt that
Girodet had gone too far and believed that viewers were overwhelmed rather than moved by grief when seeing the painting. Girodet's defenders claimed that the painting had a philosophical lesson: an allegory depicting man protecting age, womanhood, and youth. Aside from the subject matter, critics complained about a variety of stylistic elements of the painting. The anatomy of the figures was too idealized and just used to draw the viewer in. But the mother's upper arm is too limp compared to her sturdy legs and the cadaver floating in the water was too pretty, and the dimensions and balance were lacking, possibly due to the largeness of the painting. Girodet was hurt by the criticisms despite the praise he received, and he responded to critics in an anonymous text titled "La Critique des Critiques du Sallon de 1806." The text suggested that critics tend to deny a living painter's accomplishments but when the painter is dead, his reputation rises automatically.
226:. In January of 1793, Girodet himself was victim to a violent attack by the French Revolutionary Army, in which he barely escaped with his life. Though Girodet never pointed to this directly as the inspiration for this piece, it is likely that this experience heavily shaped his worldview. His comments for the Journal de Paris suggest a view of the painting in which France clings desperately to Napoleon to escape from the violent revolutions only to discover that Napoleon, the support, was rotten enough to plunge France back into the same turmoil. The breaking tree intends to represent the fragility of these supports. The figures, seeking physical rather than spiritual, salvation have fallen victim to this flood due to these circumstances.
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206:, Girodet revealed that the title of the work was misprinted in the Salon catalog as âUne Scene du Delugeâ rather than âUne Scene de Deluge.â Initially, critics complained that the painting lacked the âpanoramic vastnessâ typically associated with the biblical flood. Attributing the confusion to the mistaken title, Girodet emphasized that he merely wished to illustrate âa sudden and partial inundation produced by a convulsion of natureâ.
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differs from the final piece in a few key ways: âStill horizontal rather than vertical, this early version does not comprise the tree nor the older child clinging to his motherâs neck in the painting. Instead, a dog accompanies the group and the drapery effects are less dramatic." The presence of lightning in both the initial sketch and completed work highlights
Girodetâs commitment to alternative forms of illumination.
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From the first day of exhibition, the crowds were captivated by the piece. One observer wrote in the
Gazette de France, âToday, at the opening of the Salon, all eyes were drawn to a scene of the Flood by Girodet. This fine composition was widely admired.â Another, for the Journal de l'Empire,
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The large-format canvas (4.41 x 3.41 meters) represents five members of the same family; they struggle to escape the raging elements of nature. The man perched on a rock hangs from a tree that is beginning to break; he tries to pull up his wife and two children, all while supporting on his back an
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A preparatory drawing in black chalk, dated ca. 1795, is held by the
National Gallery of Canada. This sketch illustrates his interest in this particular scene composition long before the painting was started between 1802 and 1806. According to the National Gallery of Canada, the initial sketch
123:, was indicative of his Davidian training. The piece contained many traditional neoclassical features such as sharply defined lines, subdued colors, and axial symmetry. In his subsequent works, Girodet began to employ his own unique aesthetic, shifting more towards a style now known as
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was widely criticized at the 1802 Salon, Girodet was resolute about triumph at a future Salon. Scene From a Deluge provided much of the success that he sought, despite being initially met with a mixed reception at the Salon of 1806.
218:: "How many people, set upon the reefs of the world and in the midst of social tempests, entrust, like this family, their health and fortune to rotten supports." The âsocial tempestâ was likely an allusion to the
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According to the 2005 exhibition on
Girodet organized by Sylvain Bellenger, the painting can be interpreted as a political allegory. In September 1806, Girodet wrote about his painting for the
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differed greatly from the traditional, non-imaginative style of David and other neoclassical artists of this time. These distinct features are especially present in
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Sonia, Del Re. âExpressive and
Refined: Study for âa Flood Sceneâ by Anne-Louis Girodet | National Gallery of Canada.â National Gallery of Canada, April 24, 2018.
167:, which Girodet deployed to engage viewers. The manâs expression of terror amplifies the effect. The work thrilled, excited, and terrified the audience at the
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202:, Girodet denied any relationship to the piece, and insisted that the painting was not a depiction of the biblical flood. In an article for the
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https://pl.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/rococo-neoclassicism/neo-classicism/a/neoclassicism-an-introduction
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https://www.gallery.ca/magazine/your-collection/at-the-ngc/expressive-and-refined-study-for-a-flood-scene-by-anne-louis
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Musee du Louvre, Reunion des musees nationaux, Art institute. Paris: Gallimard Musee du Louvre ed. ISBN 2-35031-038-8
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old man who carries a purse in his hand. The sky is streaked with lightning; a cadaver floats in the agitated water.
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in Paris. Upon
Girodet's death in 1824, it was transferred to the Louvre, along with two other works by the artist:
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354:. Musée du Louvre, Réunion des musées nationaux, Art institute. Paris: Gallimard Musée du Louvre éd.
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255:; it was again exhibited at the Salon of 1814. It was purchased by the French state in 1818 for the
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Examen raisonné des ouvrages de peinture, sculpture et gravure exposés au Salon du Louvre en 1814
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634:"Tutto Ăš disperazione in questo dipinto" : interpretazione del DĂ©luge di Anne-Louis Girodet
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Beaulieu, Brooks. âGirodet (1767-1824).â Nineteenth-Century Art
Worldwide, Spring 1, 2006.
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The painting was reproduced as a lithograph in 1825 by Jean
Baptiste Aubry-Lecomte.
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127:. In particular, Girodetâs use of melodrama and the supernatural in pieces such as
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99:. It was first exhibited at the Salon of 1806 and is now in the collection of the
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OâRourke, Stephanie. âGirodetâs
Galvanized Bodies.â Wiley, November 27, 2018.
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441 cm Ă 341 cm (174 in Ă 134 in)
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Gersh-Nesic, Beth. âNeoclassicism, an Introduction .â Khan Academy, 2015.
554:"Expressive and Refined: Study for "A Flood Scene" by Anne-Louis Girodet"
467:"Expressive and Refined: Study for "A Flood Scene" by Anne-Louis Girodet"
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Anne Louis-Girodet began studying under Neoclassical French painter
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The painting is regarded today as one of Girodetâs greatest works.
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at the age of seventeen. His first painting under Davidâs atelier,
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http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/features/kuspit/kuspit8-16-06.asp
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Kuspit, Donald. âGirodetâs Sensationalism.â artnet, May 5, 2006.
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of 1810, under the category of heroic history painting, beating
636:. Philosophica (in Italian). Pise: Edizioni ETS. p. 166.
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https://www.19thc-artworldwide.org/spring06/girodet-1767-1824
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https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-8365.12401
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Nebuchadnezzar Orders the Execution of the Sons of Zedekiah
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198:Despite frequent comparisons to Nicolas Poussin's
717:Paintings by Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson
608:"Girodet's DĂ©luge, a Case Study in Art Criticism"
482:"Girodet's DĂ©luge: A Case Study in Art Criticism"
452:"Girodet's Deluge: A Case Study in Art Criticism"
407:"Girodet's Deluge: A Case Study in Art Criticism"
392:"Girodet's Deluge:A Case Study in Art Criticism"
222:and ârotten supportsâ a possible reference to
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181:Ossian Receiving the Ghosts of French Heroes
148:Ossian Receiving the Ghosts of French Heroes
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707:Paintings in the Louvre by French artists
243:The painting received first prize at the
194:Initial Confusion with the Biblical Flood
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179:Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson
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163:The frightful scene has elements of
40:Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson
525:. Paris: Martinet. pp. 41â49.
519:François Séraphin Delpech (1814).
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315:"Neoclassicism, an introduction"
95:is an oil-on-canvas painting by
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624:10.1080/00043249.1979.10793479
498:10.1080/00043249.1979.10793479
16:Painting by Anne-Louis Girodet
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569:"Girodet's Galvanized Bodies"
539:"Girodet's Galvanized Bodies"
422:"Girodet's Galvanized Bodies"
377:"Girodet's Galvanized Bodies"
350:Bellenger, Sylvain (2005).
133:The Assassination of Tatius
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651:Bellenger, Sylvian (2005)
632:Chiara Savettieri (2017).
437:"Girodet's Sensationalism"
480:Cleaver, Dale G. (1978).
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606:Dale G. Cleaver (1978).
582:Olivier Morand (2011).
239:Recognition and Display
588:Nouvelles de l'Estampe
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584:"Girodet lithographe"
567:O'Rourke, Stephanie.
537:O'Rourke, Stephanie.
420:O'Rourke, Stephanie.
375:O'Rourke, Stephanie.
334:"Girodet (1767-1824)"
300:"Girodet (1767-1824)"
261:The Sleep of Endymion
230:Response from critics
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146:After his painting,
313:Gersh-Nesic, Beth.
257:Musée du Luxembourg
249:Jacques-Louis David
137:King of the Sabines
121:The Death of Camila
117:Jacques-Louis David
89:Scene from a Deluge
22:Scene from a Deluge
508:– via JSTOR.
352:Girodet: 1767-1824
332:Beaulieu, Brooks.
298:Beaulieu, Brooks.
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97:Anne-Louis Girodet
653:Girodet 1767-1824
643:978-88-467-4928-4
361:978-2-35031-038-1
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155:Description
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590:(233â234).
285:References
220:Revolution
111:Background
64:Dimensions
506:0004-3249
200:Le DĂ©luge
263:and the
224:Napoleon
189:Analysis
72:Location
210:Meaning
183:c. 1802
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101:Louvre
76:Louvre
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